“I’m sure I can make a few calls,” Dad says softly and as I lean into him, he wraps his arm around my shoulders.

“Has Miles or Tucker told you anything?” I look up at him and he shakes his head in the negative but I don’t honestly know that he’d tell me if they did.

“Mayson.” The girl at the podium calls and I walk with my dad and brother to her, then we all follow her through the maze of tables in the center of the room to one that is clean near the window. After we’re seated with me next to Bax and our dad across from us, I pick up the menu she left us with and begin to look it over.

“Now, let’s talk about Clay,” Dad says.

I slowly draw in a deep breath, I knew this was coming. I knew that he would want to talk about Clay, but I don’t want to have this conversation. I have no desire to try and convince my father that he should give Clay a chance. Even if I told him how good Clay is to me, how he makes me feel important, validated, and safe, my dad would brush that all off as infatuation. He would point out all the times I’ve given those same qualities to other men I’ve been with in the past. The thing is none of those guys had all of the qualities I was looking for in a partner. They were all lacking in one way or another.

“No.” I shake my head. “I don’t want to talk about him.”

“Willow.”

“He means something to me.” I shake my head again. “Actually, he means a lot to me and right now what he and I are or what we might be is just for us.”

“I don’t like him,” he rumbles, and I feel my face soften.

“You don’t know him.”

“I know guys like him.”

“Mom told me that falling in love with you was the scariest thing she ever did in her life.” I lower my voice. “But she never regretted taking a chance on you.”

“You’re falling in love with him?” he asks.

I want to lie to him. I want to lie to myself, but the truth is I know that I’m quickly falling over the edge with Clay, and I don’t think there is anything I can do to stop it from happening.

“Yes,” I whisper and his jaw clenches. “I don’t know how he feels about me, I don’t know if he feels like I do, I don’t know what will happen a week or a year from now, but I do know that in this moment I’m trusting him to catch me if I fall.”

“Shit.” Bax mumbles from my side.

But I don’t take my eyes off our dad’s.

“All right, kid,” he says softly.

My throat gets tight. I might not have his approval, but I do have his acceptance and that is more than I expected to have from him.